Attachment for rolling mills



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C. M. KNIGHT. ATTAcHMENT Fon ROLLING MLLLs. FrLED DEc. I4) 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 ATTORNEY C. M. KNIGHT ATTACHMENT FOR ROLLING Ml LLs FILED Dec 14 |920 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 A'ITORNIEY JIII., il

c@ III. KNIGHT. ATTAHIvIENT lFOR' ROLLING MILLS.

FILED DEC. 14, i920. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY ltlatented .llani T23.

CLAUDE M. KNTGHT, F CLEWlEL, HT.

ATTACHMENT JFOR ROLLTNG MTLLS.

Application led December lll, 1920. Serial No. 436,7()7.'

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that ll, CLAUDE M. KNIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland` in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have. invented new and useful llmprovements in Attachments for Rolling Mills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rolling mills and especially to means for taking up the slack in the material between a pair of hot strip steel rolling mills.

llt is a customary practice to provide hotstrip steel rolling mills with a loop adjuster -for taking up slack in the material, the said adjuster being manually operated and it is the purpose of the present invention to eHect an automatic operation of this adjuster, the said operation being regulated by the'material being rolled,

Another object of the invention .is the provision of means whereby the mechanism may be readily adjusted to adapt it for rollin metal strips of different widths.

A further object isl the provision of a device of the above character, which is simple in construction, positive in operation and which may be easily applied t'o mills of diderent types.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention further includes the following novel featupes and details of construction, to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing a portion of a pair of steel rolling mills and illustrating the applicationof the ini vention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sideelevation of one of the plates for guidingthe rolled strip.

Figure 3 is a similar view looking at the opposite face of the plate.

Figure 4C is a top plan view ofthe plate.

lFigure 5 is a sectional View 0n the line 5-5-of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the adjuster operating means.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts, the reference characters A and B indicate a pair of steel rolling mills of ordinary construction, wherein the material to be rolled will pass first through the mill Arand then 4through the mill B for successive rolling operations.

The strip of material which is indicated at M usually passes over what may be termed a loop adjuster shownv at L, the latter bev ing mounted for pivotal movement and disposed horizontally until the strip M reaches the rolls of the mill B. As the strip passes through the rolls of the mill A at a faster rate than through the rolls of the mill B, the loop adjuster L must be elevated or moved upon its pivot in order lto take up slack in the material M. This movement of the loop adjuster L has heretofore been manually effected, but the present invention aims to provide means for automatically elevating the loop adjuster when the mate rial reaches the rolls of the mill B and for automatically returning the loop adjuster to its normal position after the material M has passed from the rolls of the mill B.

, F or the accomplishment of the above, there is provided a cylinder 10, which is preferabl supported upon legs 11 and located be ow the loop adjuster L. Y This cylinder has operating therein a piston 12 which is provided with a gasket 13 and to which is connected a piston rod 14. The rod lll carries a cross head 15 which is provided at each end with projections 16, the latter operating in grooves 17 provided in guides 18 carried by the supporting legs 11. lPivotally secured to the piston rod 14 as shown at 19, is one end of a connecting rod 20, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to a lifting arm 21, as shown at 22. This lifting arm is secured upon the shaft 23, which is disposed transversely beneath and attached to the loop adjuster. The loop adjuster L, the shaft 23 and the trough T may be moved laterally as a unit to place the adjuster in line. with an unused surface of the rolls.

The piston l2 is designed to be operated to lift the loop adjuster L through the medium of compressed air, steam or similar agent, the former being preferred. Air may he admitted to the bottom of the cylinder 10 through an inlet pipe 24 controlled by any suitable means. It is preferred however, to control the admission of air to the cylinder 10 through the medium of an automatically operated valve and for this purpose one of the usual guide plates of the mill B, preferably the right hand plate, is replaced b a plate 25 which may be adjustalbly secure in.

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position through the medium of an ordinary stay bolt passing through an opening 26 and extendmg downward through the guide plate. In addition, this plate is recessed upon its inner face as shown at 27 and pivotally mounted in one end of this recess as indicated at 28 is a plate 29 which is normally positioned in the path of the material M, so that when the latter is passing through the mill B the plate will be forced inward into the recess 27. In order to prevent the strip of material from wedging beneath the bottom of the plate, the latter operates within a depression 30 provided in the upper face of said plate. f

Pivotally connected to the plate 29 as indicated at 3l, is one end of a rod 32, the said rod passing through an opening 33 provided in the side of the guide plate 25 and having its outer end pivotally securedto the lower end of a rocker arm 34, as shown at 35. This rocker arm is mounted for pivotal movement upon a shaft 36 hav-ing bearings in spaced lugs 37 extending outwardly from the outside face of the guide plate 25. The upper end of the rocker arm 34 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 38, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to a valve lever 39 which extends through and operates a three-way valve 40.

This valve is included in a pipe line, one end 41 of which connects with a suitable source of air supply, while the valve 40 is connected by means of a pipe 42 with the air inlet 24 of the cylinder 10. The cylinder l0 is also provided with an outlet 43 which is controlled by a valve 44.

In the operation of the invention, the strip of material M passes over the loop` adjuster L, and when the said strip enters the guide plates of the mill B (one of which is formed by the plate 25), the said strip strikes the pivoted plat-e 29 and forces the same inward within the depression 27 and permits the material to pass from the` rolls of the mill B in the usual manner. This inward movement of the platel 29 opens the valve 40 to admit air to pass from the )ipe 41 to the pipe 42, the opening being edectedthrough the operation of the rod 32, the rocker arm 34, the link 38 and thevalve lever 39. Air passing from the pipe 42 enters the inlet 24 of the cylinder 10 and forces the piston 12 upward so as to move the loop adjuster L upward upon its pivot, the latter beingI the shaft 23. As soon as the material has passed from the rolls of the mill B, the plate 29 will be forced outward through the action of a spring 45 which surrounds the rod-32 and is located between the plate 29 and the wall of the depression 27. This moves the rod 32, the rocker` arm 34, the link 38 and the valve lever 39 in an opposite direction to close'the valve and cut o the supply of air from the cylinder l0, whereupon, the piston 12 will be lowered by gravity and under the weight of the loop adjuster L.

It i's of course obvious that the invention may be used in connection with a manually operated valve which may be controlled by the pulpit man or other workman for the purpose of pivotally moving the adjuster, the said valve being opened and closed by the workman at the proper time to supply andcut off the air.

The invention is susceptible of various chan es in its form, proportions and minor detai s of construction and the right is herein reserved to make such changes as properly fall within-the scope of the appended claimsA j Having described the invention what is claimed is l. The combination with a pair of rolling mills and a pivotally mounted loop adjuster located between the mills, of a pressure operated piston connection to the loop adjuster, a valve for controlling the piston, valve actuating means located in the path of the material being rolled, and a lever and link connection between the valve and its actuatin means, whereby the piston may be operated to move the loop adjuster upon its pivot and take up the slack in said material.

2. The combination with a pair of rolling mills, and a pivotally mounted loop adjuster located between the mills, of a pressure operated piston connected to the loop adjuster and means including a spring actuated pivoted member located in the path of the material being rolled, whereby the piston may be operated to move the loop adjuster upon its pivot and take up slack in said material.

3. The combination with a pair. of rolling mills and a pivotally mounted loop adjuster located between the mills, of a cylinder located adjacent the loop adjuster, a piston operating therein and means inclndin j a. spring actuated member pivotally secured to one of the roll guides in the path of the material bein rolled, whereby the piston may be operated to move the loop adjuster u on its plvot and take up slack in the materia 4. The combination with a pair of rolling mills and a pivotally mounted loop adjuster located between the mills, of a cylinder 1ocated adjacent the loop adjuster, a piston operating therein, a horizontally movable spring actuated pivotally mounted member carried by the loop adjuster and located in the path of the material being rolled, valve controlled means for supplying ressure for the operation ot the piston an means operatively connecting the pivotally mounted member and valve, whereby the latter will be operated.

5. The combination with a pair of rolling mills and a p-ivotally mounted loop adjuster located between the mills, of a cylinder lo# cated adjacent the loopl adjuster, a piston rfi/leem operating tberein, a horizontally movable spring actuated pivotally mounted member carried by the loop adjuster and located in the path of the material being rolled, valve controlled means for supplying pressure for the opera-tion of the piston, a lever pivotally mounted upon the loop adjuster, -an arm oonnecting the pivotally mounted member and v one end of said lever and a link connecting the oppositeend of the lever and valve, for 10 operating the latter.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ClLfAlUlDlE M. KNIGHT. 

